6/10/2023 0 Comments Dia de los muertos flower archThe print featured a female wearing a decadent hat with a skeleton face. Catrinas – the most prominent costume you see in parades comes from a famous print La Calavera Catrina (“The Elegant Skull” or Catrina garbancera), by José Guadalupe Posada in the early 20 th century.It is not uncommon for families to hire mariachi to play at their families graves. On altars, you will see foods, drinks and objects the deceased enjoyed during life. It is said that the dead are awakened from their eternal sleep by smelling their favorite foods and hearing their favorite songs. Ofrendas and Altars – to attract and guide departed souls, you will see trails of marigold petals or candles from front doors to elaborate indoor altars, punctuated with the smell of burning copal which is said to purify the soul.Meaning Behind the Day of the Dead Symbols Families guide departed souls home so they can continue to celebrate among the living – past lives celebrate with present lives – a sign of an eternal continuum of one’s life. Death is seen as a normal part of the human experience and relatives remain part of a family community for eternity. What has remained the same is the approach to death. This influenced small changes to the pre-Hispanic traditions the dates were changed to November, the holiday was condensed into two days, altars became popular, and families starting burying and visiting their deceased in local church cemeteries. But after the Spanish arrived, they merged the Day of the Dead with All Saints Day and All Souls Day to push the adoption of Catholicism. Indigenous celebrations are thought to have previously occurred in summer for one or two months. Today’s celebration is a mix of pre-Hispanic and Catholic traditions. The belief lies in the circular nature of life, where death is just another phase of ‘living.’ With relation to Dia de Muertos, scholars say the origin of these traditions dates back a few hundred years ago to the Aztec festival dedicated to the goddess of death, Mictecacihuatl. While Day of the Dead is strongest in Mexico, it is celebrated in other countries as well. The History of Day of the Deadĭespite numerous adaptions, the concept of holding rituals for the deceased has deep roots throughout Mesoamerica, dating back some 3,000 years. On the night from November 1 to 2, the souls of adults return and altars are decorated with spicy food, favorite alcohols and tobacco.īelow we talk about how to get off the beaten touristic path to find more local Day of the Dead events. Lucky for tourists, Mexicans are proud and happy to share this special holiday and don’t seem to mind tourists trampling through cemeteries and gawking at their spectacular ofrendas.Ĭelebrations begin on the night of October 31 at midnight on November 1 the souls of children return, and offerings will include things like tamales and broth without spices. In reality, the ‘real’ or ‘authentic’ way to see Day of the Dead is to be invited into a local home or to a cemetery, then share the deceased’s favorite music and food and hear stories about their lives – or, build your own altar and remember your loved ones. Some are as intimate as local villages opening their houses so the public can admire their grand altars, like in Huaquechula others turned historic traditions into public events, such as ‘Xantolo’ dances in La Huasteca which stem from pre-Hispanic days. Town councils all over Mexico developed their own agendas of small and large parades, public ofrendas and events. They are also the busiest and typically accommodation books out months in advance.īut the tourism didn’t stay contained in those areas. Today, these areas are still the most renown places to see impressive Day of the Dead altars, parades and other activities: Patzcuaro, Oaxaca and Mixquic. Seeing the touristic value of this colorful and emblematic day, the government invested into several areas around the country to turn this holiday into a public affair, such as street parades and ofrenda (altar) competitions. The nationalism of the holiday was finally cemented when it was declared a public holiday in the 1960s. A lot of the symbolism was modernized – particularly the various depictions of skulls – by artists who wanted to drive a stronger Mexican identity. The celebrations we see today were a political push to unite and socialize the indigenous traditions around the country. The touristic history of the Day of the Dead is somewhat curious. Not really the kind of dinner party you invite guests to. This is because Day of the Dead has historically been an intimate, family affair: relatives build altars in their homes, decorate the graves of lost ones, then hold vigils to guide the spirits home. A few decades ago, if you would have asked locals what’s happening for Day of the Dead – Dia de los Muertos – you would have got confused stares.
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